The former Indian Ambassador, Dalip Mehta said there had been time of stress and misunderstanding among India and Bhutan. He was speaking on Bhutan-Indo relationship at the Royal Institutes for Governance and Strategic Studies in Phuentshogling.
Dalip Mehta said to ignore such issues would be a serious mistake which would create further misunderstanding.
“Let me give two examples from recent times. First was meeting in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012 of the Prime Minister of Bhutan and China.” Dalip Mehta said the meeting may well just have been a friendly courtesy meeting; considering the Indian Prime minister was also in Rio, perhaps, even staying in the same hotel.
“The prior mention would have allayed any misunderstanding, instead all kinds of motives were being attributed and speculation led to an unnecessary awkward situation.”
The former Indian Ambassador to Bhutan said another entirely avoidable misunderstanding concerned the withdrawal of subsidies on cooking gas and kerosene by the government of India in 2013.
He also said there seem to be a deliberate act that led to avoidable tension and misunderstanding. He also said Bhutan and India should find new areas for cooperation for sustainability. “Areas, where Indians and Bhutanese can work together and gain from each other’s experiences.”
He said there are many areas such as Pharmaceuticals, information technology, food processing, and alternate sources of energy which now should be explored.
Dalip Mehta was in Bhutan from 1995 till 1998. His relationship with Bhutan began when he first served as the first secretary in the Indian Mission in Thimphu in 1970s. He is also a recipient of Druk Thuksey.
